Beauty and the Babydoll: A Review of Parfait’s Alexis Babydoll Set

Hello, Gentle Readers. It’s been a while. I’ve had to travel, for work and for pleasure (I’m actually writing this on yet another flight), and I’ve had a bit of illness, preposterously unpleasant and persistent back pain, and of course, all the work that piles up while on the road to keep me from writing as much as I’d like. I hope you’ve been keeping up with my little postings on social media in the meantime? The occasional outfit post or link to something useful/funny/interesting on the Facebrog? A bit of feminist ranting or a cute baby animal or two on the Tumbrog? And on Twitter… Well, I may have dropped the ball a bit there. Apologies. In any case, this review is one that is long overdue and I am hoping you’re as excited about it as I am.

As most of you are aware, earlier this year, the brand Parfait made a move in their line Affinitas that was absolutely thrilling to those of us with BOUS (that’s Breasts of Unusual Size, for those of you who may have missed a post or two – I really must get around to posting my guide to Miss Shapen’s lexicon sometime soon) – they expanded their size range up to a K-cup in a few styles! There was much fanfare about this in the bra blogosphere, and with good reason: no other companies in the US are even trying to make things for this size range, and those of us who need it are stuck ordering from overseas or buying at quite the premium from retailers in the US (often not their fault; they’re having to compensate for high import fees). I was very anxious to get my hands on, well, everything they were making in my size, and therefore very gratefully accepted the offer to try the Alexis Babydoll and matching brief to review. I had heard that the cups might run a bit small, so I went one cup up from my usual sister-size of JJ in a 30 band. I actually think sizing up might not have been necessary, but the fit is definitely good enough for me to be keeping it in my arsenal. I went for the brief in medium, as I can not stand when undies cut in, and even though I am usually a small in jeans and trousers, somehow knickers that are size small always give me a bit of bulge around the top elastic. As you know, I do like a good theme now and again, and when I received this lovely piece with its delicate soft mesh skirt, pretty lace detailing on the cups, and little crystal drops at the top of the gore, what came to mind was a princess. But princesses don’t generally walk around in lingerie, do they? And that’s when it hit me – they don’t any more than the rest of us do, but even a princess needs to relax sometimes. As I don’t believe one needs to have a romantic partner to want to wear nice lingerie, I envisioned a princess retiring to her rooms after a long day of Being Royal and Whatnot, slipping into her nightie, and just enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. Do you ever do this, Gentle Readers? I lounge around in lingerie all the time, actually. It’s a delightful habit. Anyway, I decided to go for a specific princess, and one of my favorites: Belle, from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. For those of you who are familiar with the movie: yes, I know that when all the characters were still enchanted she wasn’t yet a princess. Bear with me here. Blogging ain’t easy, you know. So yes, long ago in a land far away….

Belle’s life was stressful. Parts of the castle were forbidden, Beast was mercurial at best, and she felt bad using people as objects, even though they were objects at the moment and seemed to enjoy it. “Be Our Guest” and all that. Still, it was weird, and the whole trying to be happy while being a prisoner thing was wearing on her. So one night after yet another meal during which the Beast had taken his inability to use utensils out on her (he had been human once, right?), she paid a visit to the cheerful woman who was currently living as a wardrobe and found something to wear when she needed to take the edge off. At first she felt a little odd in it, given that literally everything around her could see her, and she wandered about a little uncertainly. But hey, they were her friends now, and the only ones she had, so maybe it was time to get a little more casual. So she poured herself a glass of wine, kicked off her shoes…

“…after all, Miss, this is France…”

And waited to see who would inevitably be stopping by to chat.

Lumi and Cogs showed up first, and politely refrained from commenting on her garment, but surely they noticed how delicately it floated about as she scooped them up for a dance. She found herself grateful for how full-coverage the cups were, although she knew it hardly took away from the sexiness of the garment. Oh well. Let them have some joy; they were living their lives as household objects, for heaven’s sake.

“Bonjour!”

When lil’ Chippy showed up (for the record, in this version of the story, he’s 20), things always got silly. She quickly learned that this was not really a bending over kind of babydoll, and hastily sat down before her boobs caused an inappropriate moment.

“Whoops.”

Soon enough, it was time for her tiny friend to head to bed and for the rest of the castle’s staff to go about their business, which meant that Belle could finally completely relax. She reached for a good book and settled in for some much needed peace and quiet. Well, mostly quiet… Sometimes there are exciting discoveries in chapter three.

“What? It’s HIM? I didn’t see that coming!”

Every princess needs a little Me Time now and again.

So there you have it, Gentle Readers. I’ll throw in some bonus pictures here for the sake of the final review wrap-up. I may or may not have gotten… ahem… a little bit toasted drinking the wine during this shoot (only three quarters of a glass, but I hadn’t eaten and am a lightweight), and the result was a series of pictures that got sillier and sillier as they went along. Let’s use those to talk about this lovely piece, shall we?

Here is the front view!

I am a cleavage-loving girl in general, and especially in decorative lingerie, so for me, this is a little bit fuller coverage than would be preferred. I think the cup height is part of the issue; I have a short upper torso and high-set breasts, and these cups are a little too tall to get my boobs up to what I consider to be an optimal position (the sides of the cups run into my arms, preventing me from pulling it up further). I will also probably have the straps shortened as I do on all my bras. This is all about body type, though, and if you are taller than I am, have a longer torso, or have taller- or lower-set breasts, all of this might not apply to you at all. As it is, I like the rounded profile, and I think women with soft breast tissue or full-on-bottom breasts may appreciate the coverage and shape of the top of the cups. As mentioned above, there is a lot of lovely detail to be appreciated, from the lace overlay on the cups to the little crystal decoration between them.

I will admit that babydoll style lingerie is not always my favorite; because it hangs loose from directly under the cups, it doesn’t give me the nipped-in waist I prefer, and the gathering of the fabric prevents it from being sheer enough for my waist to really show through. This is how I feel about all babydolls, though, so it is no fault of this one. For women seeking a little coverage of the waist/stomach/abdomen area, this is a perfect style.

Here you can see it from an angle, which helps show the shape of the cups. They are shallower than what usually works for me, but because they are very firmly formed, they hold their shape despite my more projected breasts’ best attempts to shove them away. I like the round but not in-your-face profile.

I like the way the side view shows the curve of my lower back. That is one of my favorite curves in general. How about you?

I absolutely adore the back view of this. The band is wide and firm, which helps keep it from riding up, despite the fact that I am wearing a size larger than I would ordinarily, and I love the cutout below the band. It’s subtle and classy and sexy and YES. I approve. The length is great, too, giving just a peek of cheek unless I bend over thoroughly (yes, there is a picture of that, and no, I won’t be posting it).

There wasn’t really a way to photograph the undies up close while I was wearing them without venturing into porn territory, so I thought I’d give you a little duo picture here so you can see the loveliness of them.

I like the attention to detail that they paid on these -the same amount as on the main piece in the set, despite the brief being largely obscured when they’re worn together. Note the matching lace and crystals motif and the sheer back, which, I’m not going to lie, is something I quite like in a panty.

Okay, Gentle Readers. I think that bit of playfulness is a fine note on which to say goodbye. I can’t believe I’ve finally done my first lingerie review! Took me long enough, eh? But cut me some slack; posting pictures in one’s skivvies on the internets is no small thing. I have a lot of respect for the other bloggers I follow who have been doing this for years; the amount of time I spent deciding whether I felt like I looked nice enough in these photos for them to be postable was not inconsiderable. There are ladies out there posting pictures of their beautiful selves in their bras and knickers multiple times a week who are doing the good work of helping ladies everywhere navigate the lovely but often frustrating world of lingerie, and I tip my tiara to them today. Please peruse my blogroll and check them out when you have a moment. They’re all lovely. And till next time, my lovelies…

Do you like Parfait’s Alexis Babydoll?
What cuts and styles of lingerie do you prefer for strictly bedroom use?
And shouldn’t it surely, surely take more than three quarters of a glass of wine to make me this goofy? I mean, really…

Hi! I don’t know how I missed this comment before! Sorry about that. Anyway, it’s true, the cups are too tall for me and the wires too wide, and in a regular bra I would totally not be able to deal. In more… decorative?… lingerie, though, I favor aesthetics more and am willing to forgive that sort of thing. I *am* hoping I can eventually afford to try the Ewa Michalak babydoll, though. Thank you for the comment!

Of all the things to consider when deciding whether to post these pictures… well, all I can say is, there’s no doubt about looking nice enough. :)

I just came across your blog, which has made for a wonderful night’s reading/antidote to some body shaming crap elsewhere on the internet. I think we have somewhat similar shapes; I’m heavier right now, but when thinner, our measurements are very close. It’s an interesting thing for me to look at your pictures, especially the ones that don’t shy away from (possibly) being interpreted as sexy. I don’t mean that in a shaming sort of way, but lingerie is sexy, right?

Like many very busty women, I’ve had a difficult relationship with my body; it’s been hard to think of it as sexy in anything other than a distorted, almost freakish way. To see you “prancing around in your panties” is actually really healing for me. First, you look comfortable and natural and like a regular woman. A woman who might be in a great sexual relationship with a man/woman OR might not be (I kind of love that you made this a relaxing, me-time night at the castle). A woman who fits quite nicely on the incredibly broad, wonderful spectrum of natural curves and feminine body types.

Second, I’m bisexual, so it’s a bit of a revelation to be able to look at someone of similar proportion to me (yet distinctly not-me) and be like, “I find this attractive!” I hope that’s not too weird, and I should stress that I don’t think a body type NEEDS to be considered attractive by anyone/everyone in order to be accepted and treated with care… but we all like to be liked, or at least to feel that it’s possible, I think. Your pictures help me feel that way about myself.

I think the outfit/makeup is just lovely from a fashion perspective too, and it very much gives off a vintage princess vibe.

One very practical question: would you mind sharing how tall you are? I’m 5’2, but you look so much taller than me in your pictures. :) I think it’s the legs; you may have a shorter torso/longer legs, whereas I have an average torso with very short legs. Corgi style, you might say.